


The Way Forward

by orphan_account



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 13:04:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12959817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A close call forces Ignis and Gladio to re-evaluate their priorities regarding each other.  Written as a fill for Gladnis Week - battle wounds.





	The Way Forward

It was one thing to sign up to hunt a behemoth, but another thing entirely to face the beast on its own territory. The earthshaking bellow the beast emitted reverberated through Ignis’ body, vibrating through his bones; he adjusted his stance for more stability as he conjured his daggers, getting lower to the ground.

“Noct, it’s charging!” Ignis cried in warning.

With a grunt of acknowledgement, Noct disappeared from beside Ignis, drifting pale blue particles the only indication of his point warp. Ignis scanned the lair and spotted him hanging off a cliff for an instant before flashing once more, polearm whirling in a graceful circle as he began an aerial assault.

He had no more time to watch Noct as the behemoth roared its fury, stomping both muscular forelegs on the ground and sending Ignis, Gladio and Prompto sprawling in its wake. Gladio was first to his feet, roaring out his own challenge in return as he sprinted towards the beast, swinging his greatsword in a powerful arc that connected with the behemoth’s head. Prompto sprinted for cover, hunkering down behind an outcropping of rock and unleashing a rapid volley of shots.

Ignis rolled away from a swing of the behemoth’s enormous horns and sprung to his feet. Taking up position opposite Prompto, he began to work his way towards the monster’s hindquarters. Ignis dove to the ground as the tail swooped overhead, the behemoth lashing back and forth, trying to reach the source of the myriad strikes from above.

“Ignis!”

Noct’s cry prompted the advisor to look up and see Noct streaking through the air, a black blur, polearm extended.

“Of course,” he said, conjuring his lance and tossing it up to Noct. Noct grabbed it with his free hand and drove both polearms into the beast’s hindquarters, prompting another earsplitting howl of pain. In the next blink the king was gone again, flickering between one point of high ground and the next, unleashing a torrent of devastating warp strikes against the behemoth. Despite the flurry of blows, the behemoth appeared more enraged than injured, long trails of thick saliva dripping from its snapping jaws.

“Doesn’t seem like our weapons are doing much!” Prompto cried.

“Then hit it harder!” Gladio yelled in response, redoubling his own efforts. He lifted his greatsword up and brought it down hard, delivering a devastating overhead blow to the beast’s head. The behemoth wavered for a moment before slumping, dazed by the hit. Noct dropped from the sky, greatsword in hand now. Ignis snapped his fingers, the beast’s weakness taking shape before him.

“Concentrate your attacks on the behemoth’s head. That’s where it appears to be most vulnerable,” Ignis called. He vaulted over a rock, rushed to the beast, and drove both daggers into the corded muscle of the behemoth’s neck. With a vicious twist, he sliced outward with both blades, leaving a nasty gash and spraying hot blood outward from the wound.

“Got it. Gladio?” Noct asked. Gladio brought the blade of his sword down to ground level so that Noct could stand on the flat edge. With one fluid motion, Gladio launched Noct into the air, the king flipping once before conjuring his own greatsword and slamming it into the behemoth. Gladio gave Noct a quick thump on the back when he landed, nodding his approval.

“Nice one, Noct!” Prompto cheered.

“Stay alert,” Ignis said, “We’re not through yet. Not by a long shot.”

As if on cue, the behemoth snapped out of its haze. Quicker than its size would suggest, it whirled around in a circle, thick tail sweeping the four friends off their feet. Ignis flew through the air and slammed into the rock face behind him; he would have groaned if he had any air left with which to do so.

Sloppy, he thought to himself, should have been more aware of my positioning. Slightly dizzy and definitely bruised, he climbed to his feet once more, the motion far less sprightly this time.

“Iggy? You alright?” Gladio asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about me. Concentrate on the task at hand,” Ignis replied through a clenched jaw. He’d be bruised after this one, no doubt there. Gladio didn’t reply, simply raised his shield to block a swipe of the behemoth’s paw.

With their quarry analyzed, the party fell into the rhythm of battle. For Ignis’ part this consisted of concentrated strikes when an opening presented itself, weaving in between cover and dodging the blows that the behemoth rained down. The ground shook beneath his feet with each massive stomp, making it easier to tell when the beast was preparing to strike. Seeing an opening, Ignis pulled out a flask of fire magic and lobbed it at the behemoth. The flask exploded in a blaze of heat and light. Multiple explosions followed the first, scorching the ground and sending flames cascading over the creature’s fur. The behemoth lowered its head and turned to face Ignis, roaring so loudly that he could feel the foul wind of the monster’s breath envelop him.

Several things happened in the same moment, too quickly to change all but one event in the sequence. As the behemoth charged towards Ignis, Noct warped down from his vantage point, intending to strike the beast with his lance. Since he didn’t anticipate the sudden charge of direction towards Ignis, the warp placed Noct directly in the path of the behemoth’s gargantuan horn. Ignis watched the scene play out as though in slow motion, a flash of the conclusion lingering in his vision - Noct gored by the creature, the life draining from him. With Gladio too far away to shield the king and Prompto ill equipped to stop the blow, Ignis chose the only option left to him.

He leapt in front of Noct, shoving him to the side and clear of the behemoth’s path, and took the blow himself.

Ignis brought his polearm up as the behemoth struck, the clash of metal on bone cracking through the lair. Had he not, he likely would have been impaled himself. As it stood, a white-hot streak of pain tore from his chest to his shoulder, his vision fading to black with the intensity. His lance disappeared as he fell to the ground. He heard the muffled cries of his companions but couldn’t find the will to focus on their words.

The last thing he saw before the blackness claimed his sight were the spectral forms of the Royal Arms surrounding Noct, his face creased with equal parts determination and anger.

\----------

“Prompto, get Iggy back on his feat. Gladio, let’s finish this,” Noct said, his blue eyes darkening.

“Let’s go,” Gladio replied, launching Noct into the air once more as the king began his assault. He resisted the urge to look back at Ignis, entrusting his care to Prompto for the moment.

Gladio bashed the behemoth square in the snout with his shield, the creature rearing back from the impact. Noct used the gap to fling himself at the monster, spectral weapons lashing out faster than Gladio could track. With each blow the creature staggered back further and further, clearly on its last legs.

Noct warped back to the ground, spectral greatsword in hand. Gladio knew what Noct intended without words; they swung the massive weapons in unison, slashing a gigantic ‘X’ across the beast’s chest. The behemoth swayed for one second, two, three before toppling over to the ground with the force of a small earthquake.

The beast felled, Gladio turned his attention to the fallen form of Ignis. Prompto knelt beside the advisor, wringing his hands.

“Uh, guys, Iggy’s not waking up. I gave him our last potion and it sorta closed up the wound but… he’s still out cold,” Prompto said, voice strained with false calm. Gladio bent down beside Prompto and couldn’t help but suck in a breath through his teeth.

A red, angry slash bisected the advisor from shoulder to navel, his shirt and jacket ripped open. Judging from the blood on Ignis and the grass surrounding him, the wound was much worse before the potion, but Ignis still needed attention. Blood dribbled from one side of Ignis’ mouth, his lip split somewhere along the way. His glasses rested in the grass several feet away, knocked off Ignis’ face but miraculously unscathed. Gladio snorted - he didn’t want to know how much gil Ignis had spent to get indestructible specs. Regardless, he pocketed the glasses carefully, not wanting to be faced with the lecture they’d get if they left the item behind.

“We need to get him more medicine. Gladio, can you carry him back to camp? It’s closer than the outpost. Prompto and I can go get potions on chocobo and hurry back.”

Gladio hesitated. As the King’s Shield, he didn’t exactly feel comfortable leaving Noct’s side, but there might be something left behind at camp that could help Iggy as well.

“Your call,” Gladio said. “You sure the two of you will be okay?”

“We’ll be fine. It’s not that much farther, and besides, night is hours away. We’ll be back before the daemons come out,” Noct replied. Prompto nodded his agreement with a vigorous shake of his head.

Gladio tipped his head in acknowledgement before turning to Ignis. Pulling the unconscious advisor to a standing position was an exercise in acrobatics as opposed to strength, but Gladio managed it. He stuck a knee between Ignis’ legs, taking the advisor’s right arm and placing it over his own shoulder. Gladio wrapped his arm around the back of Ignis’ right knee and squatted; he shifted the man’s weight across his shoulders before grabbing Ignis’ right hand with his own and standing, the blonde hanging limp from Gladio’s body.

“I’ll see you back at camp,” Gladio said, and started north towards it.

He jogged as quickly as he could with Ignis draped over his shoulders, hopeful that some potions might be waiting for them at camp. Ignis’ breathing was more shallow than normal, but he was still breathing, which was the more important part by far. It had been a long time since he’d carried Ignis this way, but it wasn’t the first time - he’d forgotten how light the other man was for all of his six feet of height.

Gladio allowed himself to indulge in the anxiety that wrenched at his heart, at least until they were back at camp. Everything had gotten so complicated so fast. Gladio dealt with complicated by charging forward to the objective at hand, not stopping to think about what ifs, but every what if about Ignis filtered through his head as he walked.

They’d made a point of ignoring their feelings for each other for years. Or at least, Gladio thought that’s what they were doing. Ignoring them in favour of the higher calling they both shared. There had been times where they leaked through the cracks, especially when they were younger and more full of hormones - stolen kisses in secluded palace hallways with hot and hungry mouths exploring skin, embraces that lingered several heartbeats too long, a tension that had the bad habit of making it harder to breathe whenever the two of them were alone. But every time he went to voice the thing that lay between them, his words faltered, and they continued on, duty to king and crown sealing the feelings away once more.

So he did what he always did - moved forward. Except this time, when he saw Ignis laying still on the ground, covered in his own blood, he truly believed that his friend was dead. And in the moments that he held that belief, he no longer saw the way forward.

\----------

Ignis regretted coming to consciousness, for with consciousness came an overwhelming ache across his chest and a splitting headache. He was still alive, however, and that counted for something. The soft substance beneath him was too comfortable to be the lair of the behemoth. His supposition was confirmed when he opened his eyes to find himself in the tent back at camp. He also found that he was not alone.

Turning his head, he saw Gladio rummaging through various items in the tent like a man possessed. Ignis watched as a tank-top, Iris’ mog plushie, the book Gladio was currently reading on Regalia trips, and a sealed package of cup noodles went flying.

“Redecorating?” Ignis asked drily. His voice was a rusty croak, the motion of his inhale causing the ache to flare through his chest once more. He wanted quite badly to survey the damage, but he got the sense that moving might jeopardize his already precarious position even more.

“Looking for something,” Gladio responded automatically, sounding distracted. He paused for a beat before turning to Ignis, amber eyes focusing in the soft lantern light of the tent. “Iggy! You’re awake.”

“For better or for worse,” Ignis confirmed.

“Scared us all pretty damn good back there. For someone who’s all about strategy, that was a pretty risky play,” Gladio said. Ignis discerned several traces of emotion in his friend’s words - worry, flippancy, anger, respect - buried underneath the casual tone.

“No riskier than it had to be. Had Noct taken the blow, he wouldn’t have had time to prepare any defensive measures. It’s our duty as the Crownsguard to protect the king, always, even at the cost of our own life,” Ignis said.  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m well aware, believe me,” Gladio replied, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. There was a pause, a flicker where Ignis met Gladio’s eyes, and the all-too-familiar tension began to wind up between their gaze.

“What were you searching for?” Ignis asked.

“Potions. I swear I had some stashed with my stuff, but I guess I must’ve used them up already. Got plenty of cup noodles, though,” Gladio replied with a grumble.

“Check my pack,” Ignis said, pointing to the rucksack that laid neatly against the opposite wall of the tent. “In the outermost right pocket. I keep an emergency hi-elixir there, and I suspect it would be extraordinarily helpful right about now.”

Gladio’s amber eyes brightened and he followed Ignis’ instructions. Too late, Ignis remembered what else was stored in that compartment. He jerked in an attempt to sit up, but the pain flattened him back to his bedroll. Ignis settled for propping himself up on his elbows, which didn’t cause too much additional pain, and felt a blush filter through his cheeks as he saw the objects that Gladio held.

“Yup, there’s a hi-elixir here all right. And this photo,” Gladio said, voice low.

Ignis closed his eyes as though that would help fend off his embarrassment. He didn’t need to look at the photo to see the image in his mind. Gladio in profile, the wind blowing both hair and leather jacket away from his sculpted torso, a look a sheer delight on his face. Prompto had taken the photo in Lestallum, memorializing the moment that they discovered the Cup Noodle stand. Ignis had expressed his admiration of the shot to Prompto, who gladly offered the photo to him. He’d kept it since - a decision he was rapidly coming to regard as foolish.

“Ah, yes. The hi-elixir and the photograph,” Ignis repeated, lost for words. He opened one eye to see Gladio peering at the photo, his gaze going from Ignis to the photo and back to Ignis. Mercifully, Gladio put the photo back in it’s proper place and scooted back over to the advisor, hi-elixir in hand.

“Gonna have to lose the shirt and jacket for this to work right. Or what’s left of ‘em, anyway,” Gladio said, amber eyes studying everything but Ignis. Ignis laid back on his bedroll and undid the buttons of his torn dress shirt, acutely aware of how hard Gladio _wasn’t_ looking at him. However, when he sat up and attempted to remove his jacket, a surge of pain caused him to hiss, halting his movement.

If he was blushing before, it was nothing compared to the flame that blazed up his neck and into his cheeks now.

“I - ah, may require some assistance,” Ignis admitted. He went to push up his glasses out of nervous habit and found his face bare.

“Here. Lean on me,” Gladio said, voice an octave deeper than usual. He placed a hand in between Ignis’ shoulderblades, arm supporting the middle of Ignis’ back, firm and strong. With slow, careful movements, Ignis maneuvered his right arm out of his jacket, then his left, fighting through the pain as the motion tugged at his injury. He repeated the motions for his dress shirt, acutely aware of Gladio’s closeness, of the warm the larger man radiated.

“Ready for me to let go?” Gladio asked.

Ignis simply nodded. Gladio removed his hand, which in turn made the jacket and shirt fall to Ignis’ bedroll. Tearing pain made his breath come quicker - he lowered himself back to the ground and the sensation eased.

For some reason, he still found it difficult to breathe.

\----------

Gladio had been in many situations that had gone off the rails, but none so much as this one. They were careening towards something urgent and torrid, laced with need, and Gladio wasn’t sure he had the strength to stop it.

Ignis stretched out beneath him, naked from the waist up, regarding Gladio with his thoughtful green gaze. The livid wound looked agitated, its edges red and swollen. Without further ado, he extended the hand that contained the hi-elixir to Ignis, waiting for him to take it. When Ignis didn’t, Gladio cocked an eyebrow at him.

“It would be more effective if you were to apply it. Given the nature of the injury, I’m not able to see the exact trajectory of the wound.” Ignis didn’t look at Gladio as he said this even though his tone was perfectly clinical.

In combat, it was faster to crush the bottle in your hand since the liquid was absorbed through the skin - the container was a fragile, glass-like substance that somehow broke into dull fragments. Gladio almost broke the one he was holding as he studied the expression on Ignis’ face - shy, vulnerable, _trusting_.

Oh, Six.

Move forward, Gladio thought to himself. He flipped the cap off the small bottle and tilted it, evenly dripping the liquid down the gash. His hands were much steadier than he thought they would be, and before long he had emptied the majority of the bottle across Ignis’ chest and stomach to soak into the wound.

It took a few seconds for the potion to work, but before long Ignis’ wound knitted itself together, leaving behind a thin line that probably wouldn’t even scar. Ignis shuddered and gasped as the hi-elixir took hold, his head tilted back, breath coming in relieved pants, his cheeks flushed. Gladio knew it was the pleasure at the immediate removal of pain, but it looked like something else entirely; he was embarrassed to find his body responding involuntarily, heat pooling in his groin.

“Better?” Gladio asked. He strained to keep the arousal out of his voice. He failed.

“Much. You have my thanks,” Ignis replied once he’d regained his composure, sitting up and crossing his legs in front of him. The blush lingered on his cheeks. Gladio noted Ignis’ split lip, looked down at the remaining hi-elixir, and threw the last bits of his caution to the wind.

“One more thing,” Gladio murmured, dribbling a bit of the elixir on his thumb. Quickly, before it could absorb into his own skin, he reached up and swiped his thumb across Ignis’ lower lip. The pad of his thumb brushed teeth in his haste, but the gesture had its intended effect - the bruising and swelling faded from Ignis’ mouth, the minor injury healing. Ignis looked at him, face bare, pupils blown, and Gladio knew it was either leave the tent or finish what they’d started.

“I’ll leave you be so you can change,” Gladio said, voice thick with need, turning away from Ignis to leave the tent. Surprise flared through him as Ignis grabbed one of his hands before he was out of range, pulling him back.

“Gladiolus. Wait,” Ignis said.

\----------

Ignis held onto Gladio’s hand, relief and desire and need churning like a maelstrom inside of him. If he did this, there was no turning back. But it seemed to be the way to move forward. For both of them.

“I, ah. Would like you to stay,” Ignis said, clearing his throat.

“You would?”

“Yes,” Ignis replied. He felt hot all over, and he knew it had nothing to do with the hi-elixir or the weather or anything but the raw desire between the two of them, condensed into this space.

“And why would that be?” Gladio asked, kneeling in front of the seated Ignis, something primal underneath his teasing grin.

“Do you really wish for me to make it explicit?” Ignis paused, realized the word choice, and gave up on correcting it.

“Yeah. I really, really do,” Gladio said, his face inches from Ignis’ now, muscled arms planted on either side of the advisor as he leaned forward.

“Very well,” Ignis said, taking a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. “Both of us are aware what our duty entails and - I assume - have made peace with that that means. I recognized in this very recent brush with death that I still had precisely one regret. And that regret was not being with you. I’d like to remedy that,” Ignis finished, heart beating like a wild animal in his chest. He met Gladio’s eyes and found a mirror of his own desire, amber eyes glittering with unspoken need.

Gladio kept his eyes locked on Ignis’ as he leaned back, slowly peeled off his jacket, and let it drop to the floor. Ignis was used to making an active effort not to admire at Gladio’s physique, but he let himself do so openly now. His gaze trailed from collarbone to tattooed arms to outrageous abs to tantalizing hipbones jutting above the waist of his pants.

“You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that,” Gladio said. Gladio’s hands found Ignis’ hips, fingertips digging in with the barest hint of pressure. He leaned forward, closing the gap between them, and placed his lips on Ignis’.

The soft touch surprised Ignis - he thought for a certainty that this kiss would be filled with ferocity, but the tender motion caught him off guard. Ignis let his hands wander up Gladio’s sculpted back. When they reached his hair, his hands curled into fists, pulling Gladio closer, urging him for _more_. Gladio obliged, deepening the kiss; Ignis moaned into Gladio’s mouth, the sheer pleasure of their connection sending a bolt of pleasure straight to his groin.

They broke apart, both a bit breathless.

“When you make noises like that, it’s difficult to keep things slow,” Gladio said, touching his forehead to Ignis’. Ignis felt lightheaded at the closeness, breathing the air that Gladio exhaled, and his voice trembled when he spoke next. 

“Gladio, we’ve been going slowly for years and years. The time for slow has passed,” Ignis whispered. Gladio made a noise deep in his throat that was somewhere between growl and moan. His form blurred and before Ignis knew it, he was pinned to the ground, every inch of Gladio’s chest pressed against his. Ignis was keenly aware of the other man’s erection pressed against his thigh, straining against the fabric that contained it.

Gladio took Ignis’ lower lip in his and sucked on it, tracing it with his tongue, and Ignis thought he may already be undone. A dam had broken somewhere deep within and there was no stopping the flood. He bucked his hips against Gladio’s, his own cock hard and aching now. Gladio groaned and shifted up Ignis’ body slightly, grinding his own hardness against Ignis, their bodies already searching for the rhythm that would bring relief. Ignis couldn’t help but chuckle, throaty and quiet, which caused Gladio to pull back and regard Ignis with hooded amber eyes.

“Something funny?” Gladio asked, grinning.

“I was just thinking that we’ve been _here_ before, at least,” Ignis admitted.

“You okay to keep going?” Gladio asked, a furrow creasing his brow, expression concerned. He propped himself up on his forearms to meet Ignis’ gaze.

In response, Ignis reached down between them and unbuttoned his slacks, shimmying out of both the slacks and underwear in record time.

\----------

Sitting back on his knees, Gladio idly wondered if there was a phoenix down in Ignis’ magic rucksack, because holy shit, the sight of Ignis’ entire body splayed naked beneath him had surely sent him to his grave. Blood roared in his ears as desire burned away any coherent thought. He couldn’t help but trail his fingers down Ignis’ ivory skin, admiring his lithe, toned body. When Gladio’s fingers reached the small patch of blonde hair beneath Ignis’ navel, he hesitated.

“You won’t break it,” Ignis purred. Gladio noted the twitch of Ignis’ cock as his fingers brushed the space where thigh met hip and…

“Shit. Shiiiiiit,” Gladio hissed, desire stringing his own body tighter and tighter. He wanted every inch of Ignis all at once and regretted that he only had two hands. Gladio wrapped one of said hands loosely around Ignis’ cock and began to stroke it with slow, deliberate motions, pre-come slick beneath his palm. He watched Ignis bite his lower lip, his eyes on Gladio, gaze unfocused. When Ignis’ breath hitched in his throat, Gladio felt an aching pulse echo in his groin.

“Not gonna come on me already, are ya?” Gladio asked, the question light and teasing. Ignis chuckled.

“I’m afraid I-I can’t make any promises if you continue with that,” Ignis stuttered in reply. Gladio withdrew his hand with some reluctance - seeing Ignis’ perfect control unwind under his touch was a new level of intoxicating. Gladio watched as Ignis propped himself up on his elbows once more and looked him up and down.

Ignis’ eyes focused and locked with Gladio’s, his voice determined and steady when he spoke. “As thrilling as the sight of you is right now, I want to taste you, so those pants are going to need to go.”

_Fuck._

If records existed for this sort of thing, Gladio was certain his trousers were removed in record time. He thought there might be some awkwardness as he stood completely naked in front of Ignis, cock hard and straining towards his abs, but the hungry look in Ignis’ eyes obliterated anything but the desire that beat in time with his heart.

Ignis rose to his knees and crooked a single finger at Gladio, beckoning him forward. He had always thought Ignis sexy, but damn, he was outdoing himself over and over tonight. Gladio took a step towards the kneeling man and had to fight to keep his knees from buckling. Ignis was so close to Gladio’s cock that he could feel each breath drift across it. After some consideration, Ignis parted his lips and enveloped Gladio in his mouth.

Gladio buried a hand in Ignis’ hair - there went the careful styling job - and moaned at the warm, wet feel of Ignis’ lips and tongue. He struggled not to pull Ignis forward or thrust as he wanted to let Ignis to control the pace, but Six, the knowledge that it was Ignis going down on him added a whole new dimension to being on the receiving end. Gladio closed his eyes, lost in the sensation of Ignis’ tongue swirling in lazy circles around the head of his cock. When Ignis added a hand and swallowed around him several times in quick succession, Gladio saw stars behind his eyelids.

“Fuck, Iggy, that feels amazing,” Gladio rasped. He looked down and Ignis and nearly came at the sight. Ignis’ eyes were closed, his features blissfully relaxed as he worked Gladio’s cock with his mouth. Ignis’ free hand was between his own legs, stroking himself with easy, practiced motions. Even if this never happened again - and Gladio found himself hoping more and more that it did happen again - that image would be burned in his memory forever.

“Iggy, I’m so fucking close right now,” Gladio moaned, head tilted back. Ignis, with a speed so slow that it could only be classified as torture, withdrew his mouth and lips from Gladio’s length - but not before licking a drop of pre-come off the tip of his cock. Gladio moved his hand from Ignis’ hair to under his chin, tilting Ignis’ face up towards him.

“I want you,” Gladio growled, “I don’t care how. I just need you.”

\----------

Ignis felt a throb at Gladio’s words, his body echoing the sentiment. He quickly flipped through the options in his mind. Penetration, yes, the animal part of his brain clamoured, but it was a big undertaking for their first encounter beyond grinding in palace hallways after sparring. Having had Gladio’s considerable length in his mouth made him fairly certain he would want longer to prepare for anything more intense. With the rejection of the first idea, an old, favourite fantasy was the next idea that came to mind.

Yes, that could work.

“Sit, please. Legs crossed. I just need to retrieve something,” Ignis said. Gladio heeded his instructions and Ignis was pleased to note the slight tremor in Gladio’s limbs as he lowered himself to the floor.

Ignis took a few steps back to his rucksack and reached in the main compartment. In another inner pouch rested a small bottle of lube, which Ignis palmed before striding back to Gladio. Ignis, more brazen than he ever imagined he could be, sat in Gladio’s lap, wrapping his legs around Gladio’s waist and hooking his ankles together behind Gladio’s back. Their cocks brushed against each other; both were slick with pre-cum and saliva, but extra lube never hurt.

“Normally I’d make a crack about how prepared you are, but I think I’m actually grateful this time,” Gladio said, grinning.

Ignis blushed but continued, taking one of Gladio’s hands and pouring a liberal amount of the clear fluid into it. He repeated the act for himself and coated his own length with the substance, working his hand up and down his now slippery shaft with controlled strokes.

“Sometimes… when I do this alone, I…” Ignis began, breath shaky. Gods, this was hard to admit! “I like to imagine it’s us. Like this.”

“Oh. Well,” Gladio said, voice thick with want. He had followed Ignis’ lead and was stroking his cock; Ignis’ gave a breathy moan at the sight of it. Gladio lowered his lips to Ignis’ ear and continued in a low growl, “That is incredibly, amazingly hot.”

Ignis was close - he had been skirting the edge ever since Gladio pinned him to the ground - and the growl against his ear only pushed him closer. He wound his free arm around Gladio’s neck and held on for dear life, increasing the pace of his strokes. Gladio grabbed Ignis’ waist and pulled him even closer, their hands occasionally bumping into each other, Gladio’s hand working his own cock with long, quick strokes.

When Ignis began panting, the heat in his lower abdomen spiraling to a crescendo, Gladio kissed him, crushing his mouth to Ignis’ in a desperate meeting of lips and teeth and tongue. When he drew back, Gladio made that low noise in his throat again.

“I want to watch you come,” Gladio said, eyes dark.

The words were all Ignis needed. He had imagined this scene so many times before, crying out Gladio’s name or begging him not to stop, but now he found his breath stolen away at the sheer power of the sensation. He fractured into a thousand pieces as the pleasure washed over him, his whole body stiffening, bucking his hips forward as he came, cock pulsing in his hand.

“Ignis!” Gladio cried out, his fingers digging into Ignis’ hips, fist pumping up and down his cock hard and fast. A heartbeat passed, two, and then Gladio followed him into orgasm, ropes of come landing on Ignis’ chest and stomach.

They stayed like that for several long moments, catching their breath, foreheads resting against one another. Now that orgasm had taken the intense edge off of Ignis’ need, he found he rather enjoyed being tangled up in Gladio’s lap, mess and all. He wished that reality wasn’t already crowding in on the edges of his thoughts, demanding his attention.

“Don’t suppose you have a towel somewhere in there too?” Gladio asked, and Ignis couldn’t help but laugh, the act loosening the knot in his chest.

Once he was certain he could trust his legs again, Ignis unlaced himself from Gladio’s body and fetched a towel from a duffel bag that contained his clothing. He made a perfunctory effort at wiping himself down; a bath or shower of some sort was due in short order, but one thing at a time. When he finished, he tossed the towel to Gladio, who followed suit.

They both dressed in satisfied silence. Ignis faced away from Gladio as he pulled his underwear and slacks back on, struggling with a sudden feeling of shyness. The shyness evaporated when Gladio wrapped his arms around Ignis from behind, settling his face in the crook of Ignis’ neck.

“Hey, Iggy?” Gladio asked. Ignis felt Gladio’s lips against his neck as he spoke and shivered.

“Yes?” Ignis replied.

“I don’t wanna go back to ignoring this. Whatever this is. Dunno if we’ll both make it to the end of this thing, but I don’t wanna waste anymore time.”

Ignis turned in Gladio’s loose embrace to face him, peering up at him.

“I think that’s a very reasonable request,” Ignis said, one corner of his mouth quirked up. Gladio bent down and kissed Ignis’ jaw, then his cheek, then his lips. When the kiss ended, Gladio’s eyes widened, lighting with some thought.

“Almost forgot,” Gladio said, fishing in his jacket pocket. He brought out Ignis’ glasses and unfolded them. Ignis blushed as Gladio slid the glasses on his face for him with a gentle motion. Ignis only had to adjust them slightly to make them comfortable.

“I suppose now would be a good time to mention that the ruined shirt was my last clean one…” Ignis said, not quite able to make it a question.

Gladio grinned.

\----------

When Noct and Prompto returned to camp with a bulging bag full of every type of curative the outpost had to offer, they were pleasantly surprised to find Ignis up and about.

“Iggy!” Prompto said, rushing over to where he was seated in one of the camping chairs, “Wow, that’s some recovery!”

“Yeah, I’ll say. I mean, we needed this stuff anyway, but what gives?” Noct asked, hand on one hip, looking at Ignis.

“Found a hi-elixir in a bag here. Turns out Iggy has an emergency stash, and a good thing, too,” Gladio said, jerking a thumb towards Ignis with his free hand. The other hand held a steaming container of Cup Noodles.

“Preparation is key,” Ignis replied mildly, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips.

“Huh,” Prompto said, rubbing his chin with a thumb. “Well, we’re back, all stocked up, and ready for tomorrow!”

If either Noct or Prompto noticed Ignis wearing one of Gladio’s oversized tank tops, or that they sat a little closer together around the fire tonight, or that their bedrolls were pushed together once the fire was out and everyone was inside the tent, neither one said a word.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I took some liberties with the way potions work in the game, but I think it worked out okay.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. I'll be here, waiting for Episode Ignis to ruin my life.


End file.
